Iraq 2003 Campaign Questions (M1A1, M1114, Bradley)

In the initial invasion of Iraq, Mar-Apr '03, there were the Army 's 3 ID and units from the USMC.  No Army M1A1s were in NATO camo,  Some of the USMC M1A1s were in NATO camo.  Only Army tanks from 2 BDE, 3 ID had the extended bustle racks (about 100 tanks).  They were all sand colored and were draw vehicles from pre-positioned stocks in Kuwait.  Some USMC camo tanks did have mine rollers.  APU was not dependent on camo or type of service.  Some had them, some didn't.

For the Brads, M2A2 ODS versions were the type used in '03.  As the war progressed, modifications and add-on armor were added and eventually, the M2A3 was used. All 3 ID Brads were sand.  The USMC does not use Bradleys.

For the M1114, none had the Gunner's Protection Kit (GPK) wrap-around armor.  All they had was a shield in front of the gun.  The GPK came later.  Most were sand as well.

Many many many thanks HeavyArty. You are really good with these. I've noticed even before on my old posts. You're a great help to entry level scale model enthusiasts like me. Thank you very much.

By the way, now that you've mentioned it, what are the differences of Army M1A1 and USMC M1A1. The M1 in 1/72 that I have is the Trumpeter M1A1 with mine roller (though I'm not planning to install the mine roller). GIven that, can I just paint my model in NATO and brand it as USMC M1A1? Thanks!

Here is the photo of my project (sorry for the webcam photo) -> http://prntscr.com/50z7v4

For a post Desert Storm era tank, two noticeable differences are the smoke grenade launchers and the MCD. Truly what Trumpeter tries to pass off as a Marine tank with wading gear  (parts E2,3&5) is set up as an Army tank based on those two items on the turret. The wading gear would not be on an Army tank. It wouldn't even have the spots to mount.

As Rob says, the biggest outward difference is the 8-shot smoke launchers.  The MCD is not always installed, so it isn't really an identifier for USMC tanks.

8-shot, double-stacked, USMC type smoke grenade launchers.

Other features of modern  US Army and USMC M1A1 HCs and M1A1 AIM tanks.

BFT antenna (w/ GPS antenna on it) attached to gunner's doghouse.

You will not usually see both the EPLRS antenna and a BFT antenna installed on the same tank.  It is usually one or the other.  The EPLRS antenna mounting post will still be present when the BFT antenna is used, just with a blanking plate on it as opposed to an antenna base.

APU Power Junction box. New electrical conduit is the angle-iron piece running along the left side of the blow-out panel.

Power connection box next to the man-hole cover. There are two screw caps to connect to located on the front of the connector, toward the front of the tank.

PLGR antenna is mounted somewhere on the turret roof.  It is usually in front of the crosswind sensor. I have also seen it to the front right of the TC's cupola as well. The location for it varies.

Tank/Infantry Phone and rear Slave Cable Receptacle on right rear of hull on latest AIM tanks. (Added in '07. Prior to this, they had just the T/I box on the right rear.)

Deep fording kit exhaust flange on HCs and AIMs.

The box in front of the loader's hatch is an MCD (Missile Countermeasure Device).  It is used to defeat optically and laser guided anti-tank missiles.  

Some USMC M1A1HCs are using the old sprocket retaining rings as well.  They were found to be an easy fix to counter the track losing tension during operations.  The USMC started putting the rings back on M1A1HCs in the early-mid nineties that were stationed stateside on the West Coast (1st Tank Bn) and they were seen on tanks on deployment with the MEUs until 2006.  No rings are/were on the sprockets of East Coast (2nd Tank BN) tanks though.  Most USMC tanks that came off of the Maritime Preposition Ships (MPS) in Kuwait for OIF I /II did not have the sprocket retaining rings, other than at least three known tanks that came off the MPS ships with them.  The USMC tanks that have been seen in Iraq with retaining rings are from stateside (1st Tank Bn).  They are part of the different ocean-going Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) that have gone to Iraq and participated in the festivities over the past few years.  So, specific USMC tanks could be seen with the rings applied.  

The below pic is a USMC M1A1HC in ops in Kuwait with the rings on it.

USMC folding BRE used in OIF.  

Hope that helps,

Thank you very very much for the replies Rob and HeavyArty - for the very detailed photos with explanations (saves photos and text).

Too bad, my M1 kit comes only with a 6 hole smoke discharger w/c means it's a US Army variant. Am I still be able to paint this in NATO camouflage w/o violating realism? Then I'll just label it "M1A1, Baghdad Iraq" then I'll just not include a date.

US Army units in Germany and some stateside units still use 3-color NATO schemes, but I don't know if any of those tanks were in theater. I really wouldn't worry about it. Paint it as you wish.